How to create a spattered photomontage in Photoshop

In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to make a spattered photomontage in Photoshop using brushes and some filters. Layered PSD file included. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Create a new document (Ctrl+N) in Adobe Photoshop with the size 800px by 1068px (RGB color mode) at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch. Use the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to fill with the next color #4A4B41 the new background layer.

Add some noise on this background layer by applying the next filter: Filter>Noise>Add Noise

We’ve got the next result:

Set Fill to 57% and Blending mode to Hard Light for this layer in Layers panel.

Find a stock photo with a jumping man represented on it, I used this photo from stock.xchng. I would like to thank the author of this photo:

Remove the background using your favorite tools like Pen Tool (P), Magic Wand Tool (W), Magnetic Lasso (L) or even a simple Filter>Extract and insert it on a new layer in our main document.

Choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation (Ctrl+U) and drag the slider to the left to decrease the Saturation of the color range for layer containing the jumping man.

We’ve got the next result:

Create a new layer and select a Soft Round brush of black color (Opacity 15%)

Use Soft Round brush to dark out the top and bottom parts of the document. Place this layer under the layer containing the jumping man:

Next we’ll make a copy of the layer containing the noise effect:

… and select for it Filter>Blur>Motion blur

We’ve got the next result:

Set Fill to 27% for this layer in Layers panel:

Let’s create a clipping mask to make the content of the layer containing the motion blur effect only visible within the content of the layer containing the darked edges. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click between the last made layer and the layer with the darked edges (on the Layers panel)

We’ve got the nest effect:

Create a new layer and use on it the Lasso Tool (L) to draw a freehand selection border as shown:

Next we have to paint the top edge inside the selection, applying the Soft Round brush of white color. Firstly we need to use a brush of bigger diameter for marking the border

then use Hard Mechanical brush of smaller diameter to paint the edges.

This layer will be placed lower than the layer with the jumping man.

Create a new layer and apply here the same technique to represent the same border for the layer on its bottom part.

This layer will be placed also lower than the man’s layer:

We’ve got the next effect

Create a new layer and apply on it the Spatter brush of black color (Opacity 10%)

to dark out the bottom part of the picture. This layer needs to be placed under the man’s layer:

Click on the same layer on the bottom part of the Layers panel on Add layer mask icon and paint into mask with Hard Mechanical brush of black color to hide smoothly the dark spots.

We’ve got the next effect:

Create a new layer again and select the Spatter brush

Paint with this brush along the layer’s edges. The brush’s color is #FDC689 (Opacity 10%). Place this layer under the layer containing the man.